The Eighth Sin
by Ace5980
Summary: For once, you get to see the gentler side of Envy as he interacts with the imprisoned homunculus with a heart, Sorrow! *Note: This story is rated T for violence and some possibly nasty material for the dirtier-minded.
1. The Girl In The Cage Of Her Own Making &

The Girl In The Cage Of Her Own Making And Her Benevolent Captor

Being a homunculus was not a preferable experience. But it was all I knew. It was as much of a part of my life as the four prison walls surrounding me. I hated them, the same way I hated most of my companions with one glaring exception. He didn't care for me. There was no way he'd ever feel the same way I felt about him. But that never stopped me from hoping.

"Sorrow! Get your butt out here! Time for dinner!"

I came out of my shelter, eyeing the man standing there. "Hello, Greed," I whispered, my words coming out gently.

He wasn't nearly as cordial to me, shoving a small tray of red stones through the bars and leaving me alone again. I reached out and nibbled on one tentatively, looking around my simple prison for the umpteenth time. Wall, wall, wall, bars. Beyond the bars was a small set of stairs. I had a small area to hide out in if I wished, but other than that, I had nothing to entertain myself in here.

I knew they had put me here to break me. But they would not succeed. Not with me. I didn't want to be a monster anymore. If I could, I'd end my life right now. But I didn't know how to do it, and besides, I didn't have the courage I'd need to end my existence. I feared for my beloved's life.

I grew sickened of my food and shoved it back through the bars, ratting them loudly. Unfortunately for me, the sound brought the other female of my kind stomping into the room. Her eyes were cruel, as emotionless as her black dress. "Keep it down, Sorrow. I don't care what Father told me; I'd take pleasure in whipping your back raw right now."

I shivered but didn't move. I knew if I waited long enough, my beloved would come. "Fine, Lust," I said, turning around and presenting her with a clear shot of my back. "You know I don't care what you do to me. It doesn't hurt nearly as much as my inner demons."

Her lip curled up in disdain as her finger elongated, hanging mere millimeters from my back. I closed my eyes, ready for the pain. It didn't matter to me anymore. All I wanted was for it to _end_.

"Enough."

I gasped, glad the sound was hidden by Lust's movement as she turned around to regard the speaker. "Envy, don't tell me you don't feel sorry for this little freak," she said, disbelief oozing from her voice like acid.

"She may be a freak, but then again, aren't we all? It doesn't mean she has to be beaten like a dog."

"Hear hear," I muttered to myself, earning a slash across my head from Lust.

"No one asked you, freak," she hissed. I took my punishment in silence, like a puppy who's been spanked so many times now it doesn't even whimper anymore.

"Lust, why don't you go take care of Gluttony or spend some time with Greed? I'll handle Sorrow."

She made a decision quickly, choosing to handle Gluttony. She did, however, slash me across the head again for good measure. I was pushed to the ground by the force of her blow but didn't make a move to get up. I knew that if I did, she'd only hit me again, and harder, regardless of whatever Envy said to her or how Father might punish her. In her eyes, I was a traitor to my kind.

Gentle hands helped me up. I pushed myself up to a sitting position so that I could see the face contorted in unfamiliar kindness better. "You shouldn't let her push you around so thoroughly," he said, examining my wounds. I didn't say anything; he already knew what my answer would be because we'd already had this argument several times before.

He held one of the small Philosopher's Stones in his hand, offering it to me. I closed his hand around it. He frowned and wordlessly held it to my lips. Caught by the surprise of this strange gift, I let him slip it inside my mouth. When he tried to slip another one into my mouth, I turned my head away, not wanting to let myself dare hope this could mean what I thought it meant.

"Sorrow," he sighed. "Please. You have to eat." I shook my head, very much in disagreement. He sighed again and pushed me away. He didn't leave me though, far from it.

He instead shed his long-haired, vaguely cross-dressed form for his true form, a large creature that was a mix of dragon, lizard, and the stuff of nightmares. He opened his mouth wide, laying it down on the floor beside me. "If you aren't going to eat normally, please, take from me. Please." My heart swelled with the full implications of his gift.

I gently pet him before doing as he said, crawling inside his mouth and latching onto his core, the large semi-solid Philosopher's Stone. He let out a gentle moan, and his body went limp around me. It was then that I realized the truth of the matter.

Neither of us wanted it to end.


	2. The Lone Snowflake That Fell From The

The Lone Snowflake That Fell From The Heavens

It had slowly been getting colder in my basement prison cell for the past few weeks. I mean, I didn't really feel the cold all that much, but I did know that it was colder. I sadly began finding myself trying to imagine what the surface world would be like up there, but only ended up depressing myself when I realized that I could no longer quite remember what snow looked like anymore, or even how it felt inside my hands.

I was interrupted from my cold-weather crisis when Gluttony came down the stairs. As one of the few homunculi who was actually fond of me, I enjoyed his visits. However, today I had much more pressing matters on my mind than how Father's plans were coming together.

"Glut," I said, voice sad, "Could you tell me what the weather's like outside?"

"Today, the sky was clear, a perfect-looking blue. But better yet, Sor, it was snowing outside! Big huge drifts were piling up too. I wanted to have a snowball fight with someone, but the others didn't want to play."

I was shocked. "Whyever would they not want to play in the snow, Gluttony? It's not as though they're imprisoned in a cage in the basement like I am."

He sniffed. "Pride couldn't go outside, Lust didn't want to, Sloth's busy working, Greed isn't here, Wrath wanted to, but I didn't want to play with him because he takes fights way too seriously, and Envy said he didn't want to play around with half-frozen balls of water that only melt later and make it look like you went swimming in ice water with all your clothes on."

I patted his arm gently. "Hey, you know if I was allowed out, I'd play with you, Gluttony."

"I know. You're just nice like that, Sorrow."

"Um, Gluttony, can I ask a favor from you?" He looked up at me, eyes promising his assistance. "I can't remember what it feels like to hold a snowball in my hands. Could you please go and maybe sneak a handful of snow down here for me?"

"Sure, Sorrow. You don't ask for much. Why shouldn't you be able to have a small part of winter down here?" He got up and left, seemingly eager to get me my snowball. He wasn't gone long before Envy came down to visit.

"Hello, bean."

I smiled at the sight of him leaning against the wall impassively. "Hello, Envy," I murmured, blushing slightly at the thought of him possibly overhearing my whimsical request of Gluttony.

"I have a surprise for you."

I cocked my head quizzically. "What is it?" If it had been almost anyone other than Envy, I would've been worried. After all, the other homunculi seemed to think it entertaining to watch me getting beaten. Or whipped. Or forced to saw my own arm off. You get the idea.

Not Envy though. Even though it was in his nature to take pleasure at the suffering of others, he had never found any amusement in mine. The only reason he would watch was to show me that he cared. He showed his love for me by staying and watching.

"Close your eyes," he whispered, coming into the cage with me, "and trust me." Surprisingly, I did so without a second thought. I trusted Envy with my life. He wouldn't hurt me. Purposely, at any rate.

His hands were gentle as they picked me up and held me close to him. Absently, I wondered how long we were going to walk before he grew tired of turning me around and took me to where we were going. I mean, not that I minded the method of travel or my companion, but why did it have to be so cold? Worse, was it getting colder the longer we walked, or was it just me? I shivered, and Envy held me tighter, sharing his body warmth. How was it that I felt so cold, but he felt so warm?

Finally, he came to a dead stop and whispered to me, "Okay, bean, we're here. Open your eyes." Hesitantly, I peeked out from behind my eyelashes and breathed in a gasp. I couldn't believe it. How had he managed to give me this wonderful gift?

Envy had brought me out of my little prison to the outside world, which was covered in a blanket of icy white powder, somehow undisturbed despite all the traffic that must've gone on here. Wondrously, I stretched out a hand to scoop up a small handful of snow beside us, luxuriating in the feel of the ice on my bare skin. "How'd you do it, En? How'd you manage to convince the others to let me come outside?"

He smiled wryly. "Well, I thought you'd be okay if Gluttony just brought you a handful of snow, though I will never understand why in the world you two find it so fascinating and entertaining to play in. But Father sent Gluttony out on an assignment before he got the chance to give you your snow, so I had to do something. So I asked if I could take you out, saying you deserved a reward for your good behavior. When I volunteered to go out with you to stand guard, he couldn't refuse."

I frowned, not understanding. "But you hate snow."

"Just because I hate it doesn't mean I don't understand it's potential value. If being out in it makes you happy, well, who am I to judge?" he said, releasing me from his grasp and setting me on my feet. I kissed his cheek quickly in thanks before running off into the snow. He settled down against the wall, watching me play with careful eyes. After all, if I caused the slightest commotion, I might not ever get to experience this again.

I romped around in the snow on my own for a little while before I got bored. And when I got bored, I got sneaky, and above all, malicious. The beginnings of an evil plan had worked themselves out in my head, and I was quick to follow them. A snowball arched its way over to Envy, smacking him square in the chest.

"What the-," he spluttered, brushing the cold flurries off his shirt. "Sor!"

I played with another snowball in my hand, tossing it up and catching it again. Toss, catch, repeat. Toss, catch, repeat. "En, it's no fun playing in the snow if you're doing it alone."

"Well, too bad. I'm not playing with you. I hate snow."

"Come on, En. Please?"

"Sorry, bean. Not doin' it."

I threw the snowball hard, smacking him in the face with it. "All right then. You're just a chicken."

He brushed the snow off his face, a mixed mask of confusion, playfulness, and anger. "Fine then. You know what? You're on," he said, pressing together a quick snowball from a drift alongside him and throwing it in my general direction. It missed. And by a wide margin too, I might add.

We spent the remainder of our time outside throwing snowballs at each other. There was too much ground to make it worth anyone's time building a fort, and besides, Envy could shapeshift, anyway. A fort wasn't really of use if you could change into a mouse and avoid all the snowballs. By the time both of us were laughing, our hair hanging down in half-frozen slicks from the melting snow caught in it, Envy looked around and said, "Come on, bean. It's time to go in."

But I wasn't listening. It wasn't snowing again, far from it. But almost as though I had willed it into existence, a small snowflake began its descent from the heavens. The first and last snowflake I would see on this outing. I simply had to catch it. I ran off in its general direction, knowing that if I was fast enough, I'd be able to maybe, just maybe, catch it like I hoped to. Envy came after me, calling my name loudly, but he wouldn't be fast enough. My natural ability was far stronger than his in my current situation.

Envy could shapeshift. Gluttony could eat anything. Lust could elongate her fingers to pierce others. Greed could generate an impregnable shield around his body. I had the misfortune of having feet that would carry me swiftly into danger, much more swiftly than anyone else could match. And, needless to say, my foolish decision to try and catch a snowflake was a danger to me more than anything else I'd done recently.

I held out my tongue just in time for the snowflake to hit it. It liquidated instantly against my warm tongue. I closed my eyes, savoring the feeling of triumph and melted snow.

Envy tackled me then, knocking me to the ground. His hair hung in down in my face, getting mixed up with mine as we lay there. "What were you doing, bean? I tell you it's time to go in, you run off on me, and then you stop dead and let me tackle you! What were you doing?"

"Catching a snowflake," I said in a small voice, feeling guilty. I could've gotten him in enormous trouble with the others all over my whimsical desire to catch a snowflake on my tongue.

He snorted. "With what? Your hands?"

"No, palm tree, with my tongue."

He sighed irritably and pulled me up with him. "Well, no harm done. You're still here, and I guess that's all that matters. Now let's get you back inside before you end up getting in trouble." We walked back to the entrance to find Lust there waiting for us.

"Envy, you have a job to do. Father gave you your assignment when you asked to take Sorrow out, and he wants you leaving now. I'll take the girl back to her cage."

He smiled sadly. "Be careful, bean. No more snowflake catching, promise?"

"Promise," I said, and he kissed my forehead quickly before walking off into the cold snow, disappearing quickly into the white, featureless landscape.

Lust grabbed my arm, not trusting me nearly as much as Envy had. "Well, Freakulous, did you enjoy your little snow day?" she sneered, jerking hard on my arm to get me to catch up to her speed.

I turned to her and smiled. "You know what, Lust? I did."

* * *

_Apparently, I can't quite stay away from Sorrow, since this is her second story in as many days! I thought it would be so much harder to write about her than it actually was!_

_This story, however, actually has a hidden purpose behind it that I thought I'd share. The story originally began by watching the neighborhood kids playing outside in the snow. I thought to myself, "Hey, why shouldn't Sorrow get in on some of the fun?" I'd been batting around the idea of her befriending Gluttony for a while now, so it was easy to begin the story with the two of them playing. But I wondered, what would Envy's reaction to the snow be?_

_However, the actual first scene of the story I came up with was Sorrow and Lust talking at the end. Finally, after some thought to the matter, the rest of the story took shape around one thing that ended up getting lost in the telling. So, I decided to include that story right here._

_The hidden purpose behind this story is actually why Envy calls Edward Elric 'bean.' He doesn't do it as an insult, like Edward thinks. He isn't even saying it to state a fact! As you may have noticed, Envy calls Sorrow 'bean' many times throughout the story (which she also calls him palm tree, since I decided that Envy shouldn't always win. He can't always win the Game :P to those who recognize the joke in that last sentence.). He calls her that as a sign of endearment, and while it doesn't have the same meaning when applied to Edward, when he says it, he is really thinking of Sorrow, the girl who lost everything and is trapped in a cage in the basement but still has just as much hope as Ed does. So really, if you think about it, Ed's beating up Envy for giving him a compliment! (What can I say, Envy? You win some, you lose some.)_


	3. The Inaccurate Sketch Of The Sleeping

The Inaccurate Sketch Of The Sleeping Angel And Her Demon Protector

Over the course of my long stay here in the cage in the basement, there is one particular story that always cries out for my attention. It always makes me smile, even now, all these years later. I suppose that if I had to put my stories in chronological order, this one would come shortly after the day I discovered Envy loved me, but before my snow day with the lone snowflake. I think it's probably one of the best stories to come out of my incarceration.

Here it is. The story of the inaccurate sketch of the sleeping angel and her demon protector.

* * *

"Paint? What in the world do you want paint for?" Pride was obviously very confused by my request for some paint in as many colors as he could manage.

"I get tired looking at the same four walls and ceiling. So I want to paint the walls. Something that reminds me of the outside world, or better yet, paint a nice sky. It ought to be more fun than staring up and counting obscene dots on the ceiling."

He got up from his chair, stretching, as Envy came down to relieve him of his guard duty. "I'll see what I can do, but don't get your hopes up."

"Thanks, Pride," I called after him, but he was already gone.

Envy frowned, opening my door, sliding in, and closing it gently behind him. "What have you been doing with Pride?" he asked, sitting down beside me.

"Nothing _you_ should be concerned about," I placated, worming my fingers through his. "I was just asking him for a favor, that's all."

"Hmmm... Anything I can help with?"

I grimaced. "Not unless you have magical mind powers or a fully functioning smuggling ring at your disposal."

"Sadly, I don't have a smuggling ring, and I wish I had these magical mind powers of which you speak," he replied calmly, running his fingers through my long hair. I hadn't had the chance to cut it since I'd been imprisoned, and it was now much longer than I would've let it get at any other time. But I knew now that even if I was free, I wouldn't have gotten the haircut anyway; I enjoyed the feel of Envy's fingers sliding through my hair far too much.

I sighed happily, holding perfectly still. He spent the rest of his time he was supposed to be spending guarding me playing with my hair before Wrath showed up to take over his shift.

"Aw, come on, you two. There's no point in posting a guard on her if you don't stay outside the cage, Envy," he complained, seeing our relaxed position with Envy still playing with the ends of my hair.

Envy shrugged, not the least bit ashamed at his behavior. "What else is there to do during my time?" he asked absently, making no move to get up. He even pulled me closer, tucking my head under his chin so that his view of Wrath was unobstructed.

"I don't really know, or particularly care, what it is exactly that you end up doing, so long as it does not include sitting around inside of her cage, playing with her!"

Envy, however, had grown rather bored of the argument, signaling a bad turn in his behavior towards Wrath. His right hand left my back for a moment before it returned, but I knew he must've flipped Wrath the bird because he stormed out of here like he'd been branded and then slapped across the face. Hard.

"En," I sighed philosophically, slightly miffed, "Was that really necessary?"

"Considering the fact that I wasn't done here, and that he was really putting a damper on things, yes."

I frowned. "How was he-," I began.

He cut me off. "So what is it you do down in here when you've been left to your own devices? I'm curious."

I shrugged. "Stare at the ceiling, count how many bars are on the door, find all the rivets in the cell, those kinds of number games."

"Doesn't sound very fun," he grouched.

"It's not supposed to be fun. The only fun I'm allowed down here is when you come to visit."

He rolled his eyes. "Let's just go back to what we were doing then," he sighed, lying back. I copied his posture, laying my head against his chest. For the remainder of his visit, we lay there, me staring up at the ceiling absently and him playing with a strand of my hair.

But, as usual, he couldn't put off his duties for too long and eventually had to leave. "I'll be gone for a good while, Sorrow. I don't know when I'll be able to come back, so promise me you'll be an angel while I'm gone."

His words gave me an idea. I murmured an easy agreement, staring at my walls. If I got the paint, I knew what would be going on them now.

* * *

It took a week, but Pride eventually brought me some painting supplies. "I still don't know why you would ever want this stuff, but Father said you could have it," he said to me, handing over the paint buckets and brushes.

I simply smiled and replied, "Thank you, Pride. Tell Father I said thanks too, would you?" I was subconsciously aware of his reply, but I didn't hear the exact words. I was far too busy getting started on my idea. I wanted to get it fully painted before Envy got home, wanting to surprise him with my new artistically-pleasing walls.

It was hard work, being an artist. My body became covered in paint spatter, and I increasingly found myself spending vast amounts of time fixing little mistakes. I didn't mind all too much though. The fun was in the painting and the daydreams of seeing Envy's face when he discovered what I had done to my prison. I found myself racing through my work, wanting to finish it quickly. Like Envy had said, who knows when he would be getting back?

Despite all my work, however, Envy managed to beat my to the finish line, but only by a wall. One single solitary wall that was a small part of my shelter was all that was still unpainted when he returned. Naturally, he made straight for my cell.

"Sorrow, what did you do?"

I turned around to see Envy, standing there with something hidden behind his back. He had obviously just come down the stairs and had froze upon seeing my masterpiece.

I had painted a full color illustration of the various landforms and locales around the area, all covered in various sorts of weather. Most importantly, though, there were angels studded throughout the portraits, as though they were searching for something they'd lost. It was a reminder of the outside world and a beautiful picture of a fairy-tale all wrapped into one.

"Do you like it?" I asked, worried. If he didn't like it, all of my work would have been in vain. I held my breath, waiting for his answer.

"It's almost perfect, Sor. It's just missing one thing."

"What?" I was desperate to fix whatever he thought was wrong with it.

"This," he said, pulling a large scroll of paper out from behind his back and holding it out to me. I took it reverently, carefully slipping it through the bars. I slowly unfurled it, inhaling a gasp at what I saw.

"Did you draw this?" I asked, unable to take my eyes from his gift.

"Every stroke," he assured me, coming closer so that he could reach through the bars and stroke a hand along my face.

"It's perfect. I'll hang it up on my blank spot right now." Quickly, I grabbed a large brush, smothered it in paint, and slapped it onto the remaining blank wall. I then pressed the paper against the wet paint, using it as an adhesive to make sure the picture stayed on the wall.

The picture itself somehow seemed like the perfect compliment to my art. It depicted a small angel girl, child-like in her size and proportions. She lay in the arms of a demon, her eyes closed as she slept. The demon held her close, gentleness in his posture, as he stared over her head with a fiercely protective expression. It took me a moment to realize who the picture's subjects really were.

Envy and I were the demon and the angel in the sketch.


	4. The Close Call And The Taste Of Freedom

The Close Call And The Taste Of Freedom

Envy was on another mission. I was getting rather exasperated with the fact Father seemed determined to send only Envy out. I may have understood that as the only shapeshifting homunculus, Envy was the only one who could go, but I still didn't like it. Gluttony had reluctantly agreed with my request to shadow Envy, just as a precaution.

My request proved itself useful a few weeks later. Lust was on guard duty and I was absently drawing various images onto my skin with the leftover paint from several months ago when the message of doom came.

Gluttony barreled down the stairs, startling both of us. He didn't even look at Lust, instead focusing on me. "Sorrow! It happened! We need to leave now!" He came towards me, intending to grab me and escape.

Lust, however, wasn't having that. She reached out and closed a hand around Gluttony's arm in a tight and painful-looking grip. "What happened?" she asked.

"I was shadowing Envy, like Sorrow asked me to. I know Father and everyone else, including Envy himself, said he'd be fine, but she was worried, so I was doing it was a favor to her. He was found out, and he's managed to hold himself up to heal, but it's only a matter of time until the humans break through and give him the final death."

I shivered. This was worse than even my worst nightmares! I was firm in my decision of what to do now. "Where?" I asked, getting up and tensing myself, ready to hurl myself into my power and rescue Envy.

"Ishbal," Gluttony whimpered, seeing the determined looks on both my face and Lust's. I was about to activate my power when Lust held up her other hand.

"Sorrow, wait."

I froze. Why was Lust speaking to me like she may not hate my guts with the red-hot intensity she normally expressed towards me? "What the heck could you possibly want, Lust?" I said, shifting my weight so that I remained limber and in touch with my power. She surprised me by opening the door to my cage, letting me out. "What the-" I spluttered unintelligibly, staring at her.

She looked away from me, unwilling to meet my eyes. "I may hate you, but I'd be stupid to let Envy die simply because of my dislike for you."

"Thank you, Lust."

She sniffed, looking at me with an unreadable expression on her face. "Get out of here, before I change my mind. And don't think that because I was the one to let you out doesn't mean I won't come after you with all I've got, because I'm not going to hesitate to take you down if we meet up later."

Gluttony looked like he was near tears when he hugged me close, crushing me in a enormous bear-hug. "Bring Envy home," he choked, letting me go.

"I don't plan on doing anything else," I reassured him, and then I was gone. My feet darted along the ground, carrying me swiftly from that place. It was easy to hone in on Envy; if there was ever a more dangerous place for me to be than my cage, it would be by Envy's side in this time. My feet ran my swiftly through the country, far too quickly for any human to see me before I was already gone. My fears, however, were not from the humans, I could handle them with my eyes closed!*, but from the other homunculi catching up to me before I reached Envy.

Ishbal was a mess. I could see humans doing horrible things to each other before my swiftly passing eyes and was reminded of my vow to never do anything like this to anyone else ever again, even if they were humans. I would not be like my kind. Not when I knew what it felt like to deal with that kind of loss firsthand.

I caught sight of a single man walking around. He came across several Isvalites, a few scattered elderly protected by a single priest. I slowed, wanting to see how this might turn out. He made it quick, snapping his fingers and creating a gigantic inferno to devour them before I even had time to blink. I knew what I had been watching then, turning away and continuing my run. He was an alchemist, and I had made a point to avoid them if I ever came across one after hearing Envy's description of a State Alchemist. In my weakened state, I would be a simple matter to kill, which would end very badly for the other homunculi.

The pull of my power increased. It would be so much more dangerous to find Envy now, but I continued on. If the danger was that intense for me, the weakest homunculus, then it must be even more so for my injured companion. I ran faster, my fear and desperation aiding me in my flight. The landscape around me blurred, my feet instinctively guiding me away from obstacles. I hadn't done this in decades and was surprised at how good it felt to just run again.

The taste of freedom had never felt so good.

* * *

Before I knew it, I stood in a run-down old hovel over a badly injured young man whose features blurred and changed before my very eyes. When the body I knew better than my own solidified before me, wounds gaping out from the expanse of cloth and skin, I knelt down and took his head in my hands. "Envy, you should really get those healed."

He laughed weakly, coughing up some blood. I was even more concerned for him and relieved that I had seemed to arrive at just the right time. "I would, but I don't think I have enough in me to heal myself and keep myself together."

"Then take from me, En. I've certainly taken enough from you over the years." I pressed his mouth to my belly, directly over my Ouroboros tattoo, feeling the skin slip away under his, leaving my small Philosopher's Stone vulnerable to him. He moaned, instinctively beginning to feed off me to protect himself. Then he regained control of himself and pushed himself away from me, breathing heavily.

"Sor, I won't take anymore. I don't want to lose you."

"You aren't going to lose me, you dumb palm tree."

"Oh yeah? Look down at yourself, and then tell me I'm not going to kill you," he said bitterly, forcing my chin down with his thumb before I could think to do anything else. I inhaled a gasp when I saw my stone, brought down to the smallest sliver it could possibly be without killing me. I wouldn't be able to use my powers anymore; I was now completely dependant on Envy to get me back alive.

"Come on," he said, "let's get out of here before an alchemist finds us." I shivered at the memory of my close encounter with the State Alchemist from before, the one with fire power. I wouldn't want to meet him in a blind alleyway. Envy changed his appearance quickly, his clothes morphing into those of a State Alchemist. He threw the coat over me, closing it around the Ouroboros tattoo in order to hide it from view. His own tattoo was covered by his shirt.

We moved slowly, watching carefully for alchemists, soldiers, and unfriendly Isvalites. We were both pretty weak and in no condition to take on anyone right now, especially without our powers. Envy kept looking around every now and again, as though frightened of something. I clung close to him, afraid to think of what could've possibly had him so tightly wound. He froze suddenly, sensing something I couldn't. His eyes widened, and quick as a flash, he changed into his true form and snapped me up into his mouth and inside him, effectively hiding me from whatever was outside.

"Hello, Envy. I thought you were a little too weak to be wandering out on your own."

"Greed, I don't mean you any harm. I just want to go back and heal myself at this point. I don't want trouble," he said, his multifaceted voice confusing me. I, however, was intrigued by the mention of Greed. He was a fellow rebel homunculus, like me, but since he hadn't turned good like I had, he'd been allowed to defect.

"I thought I sensed Sorrow here and came to talk to her. After all, isn't she currently imprisoned in the basement?"

"She should still be there. Of course, I haven't been home in a while, so for all I know, she could've escaped."

I heard a dry chuckle, mocking. "Envy, you're such a bad liar. I can sense her, you know. She's inside you, no doubt swallowed when you figured out I was coming."

"You won't touch her," he promised, firming himself up, ready for a fight.

"I just want to talk, that's all."

"En," I murmured from inside of him, knowing he could hear me perfectly well, "let me out." I heard a faint, exasperated growl, and he opened his mouth, allowing me out of him.

"Enjoying your freedom, Sorrow?" I turned to see the Greed I remembered, clad in leather, ready to take whatever. I inclined my head disdainfully.

"I'm not free, Greed, despite what it looks like. I'm on my way back with Envy. We're both too weak to do anything else."

"You know I have plenty of Philosopher's Stones. You can have one of them and run."

I shook my head as Envy clutched my arm tightly, apparently in fear of me taking up Greed's offer. "Sorry, Greed, but I can't do that."

"Why ever not?" he asked, looking perfectly at ease.

"It's complicated," I hedged, looking at Envy. He caught my look and gagged.

"I will never understand you, Sorrow. Does love really warrant a loss of freedom?"

"Yes."

He sighed empathetically at my response, digging his hand through his pocket. He tossed me a rather large red stone, and I caught it reflexively. "Take it and get out of here. I got so many of them that I don't know what to do with 'em anymore."

I smiled. Greed performing an act of charity, even one this small? It was like the end of the world was coming. _Then again_, I mused as I broke off a piece of the stone and handed it to Envy, walking away into the sunset and away from the other strange, rouge homunculus, _I guess anything is possible._

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_*- This is correct grammar; it's used many times in classics such as _Frankenstein_ by Mary Shelley._

_Author's Note: This chapter made possible through the encouragement of _Dare2howl_, whose encouraging review helped me get through the particularly difficult part of writer's block figuring out how to make this chapter work. Thank you for your support!_

_This chapter made possible by the Philosopher's Stone corporation. Immortality is a gift best given to yourself!_

_And finally, I do NOT own any of the characters portrayed throughout this fan-fiction, with the sole exception of Sorrow. They are the property of whoever owns_ Fullmetal Alchemist_._


	5. The End of The Cycle

_A/N: This is the end of the story. I mean it this time. This. Is. The. End. The only way I would even remotely consider it was if I got a ton of people yelling at me to do an epilogue, but other than that, this story is pretty much over._

The End of the Cycle

Needless to say, Father was not happy with me when I returned, even though I did bring Envy back alive. I had escaped and defied a direct order. My life was forfeit in everyone's eyes except Envy and Gluttony's. To them, I was simply a girl who'd done what she had to in order to protect the one she loved. If only the others could see it that way.

I was sentenced to being chained with Sloth as he dug. It wasn't all that bad. I was given the Philosopher's Stones I needed in order to keep up, and I did get to run and have a certain amount of freedom. He wasn't particularly caring if I wandered a little ways away. He didn't even care if I unchained myself and spent time with Envy, so long as neither of us got caught. Sloth and I got on well, and I was very careful not to do anything to spoil that easy relationship. It was such a shame it all had to come crashing down.

I knew I was the only homunculus around right now; Father was sleeping, Sloth was digging, and all the others, minus Lust and Envy, were out doing stuff for the master plan on world domination or something to that effect. I really had no idea what they were doing and hadn't since the day I had rebelled against them and had to be sedated by Envy. Sedated. I giggled at the memory, remembering the way his slender arms had wrapped around me, holding my own lithe body motionless more thoroughly than Pride could with all of his extensions or Wrath with all of his anger and passion or even Sloth with all of his strength and speed. I came around the corner towards his room, his name dying on my lips when I saw what was happening.

Envy had Lust pinned up against the wall, his hands roaming her body the same way they'd always do to _mine_. He whispered her name as he trailed kisses down her throat, skillfully undoing the straps of her dress in the same manner as he'd always claimed he'd wanted to do to _mine_. She moaned and panted, thrusting up against him as he continued to satisfy his needs, needs he'd always managed to satisfy before with the simple brush of _my_ lips or warmth of _my_ body.

I turned away, running back to Sloth but instead ducking into a side cavern when I couldn't run anymore. Why? Why had he done that with that ho? Why had he done that with someone who was practically his own sister (still, I shouldn't talk because technically, if _she_'s like his sister, I am too)? He was the only reason I stayed, the only reason I didn't run to Greed. He was pretty sexy, and I didn't think he'd mind if I stayed with him.

This had never happened before, not in any of my past lives. I had always loved Envy, but he had never abandoned me like this before. Never. It twisted my heart out to see him with her, whispering her name as he ravished her body, instead of with me, murmuring my name as his hands stroked my hair, my face, my body. I didn't want to live anymore. Not when my kind was killing others for the simple sake of killing, poisoning the world with their lavish lifestyles, and I was without the one light in my world of darkness.

I couldn't go to Father since he would only make me be reborn again. Nor could I go to Lust, since I couldn't stand the idea of her touching me with the same hands she'd used to touch _him_ with, or _him_ for the same reason. Pride and Wrath were out because they wouldn't kill me; they'd eat me instead, which would only end badly for them when my pain would hurt them and if my attraction traveled to them, it would lead to a lot of awkward questions. Greed was too far, and Sloth wouldn't understand. Which only left Gluttony to do the deed.

As though my thoughts had summoned him, I heard him come to me. "Glut, I need you to do me a favor," I asked quietly, my hair hiding my tears from him.

"Name it," he murmured, looking at me with tender eyes, eyes I'd thought only Envy possessed when he was looking at me.

"Kill me," I whispered brokenly.

"I can't do that," he said, lunging for me. I instinctively tried to evade him, but his arms wrapped around me seductively, pulling me close to him. His body changed around me, morphing into a form I knew well. "Not when I love you."

"Bullshit, now get off me!" I yelled, squirming in his grip.

"Why must you hurt me in this way?" he purred into my ear, which ruffled my hair as he planted kisses down my throat.

"Because _you_ hurt _me_ first!" His grip slackened for a moment, allowing me partial escape. Instead of having him curled around my body, he was now gripping my arm as I struggled to free it and myself from his influence, from his loving eyes.

"What are you talking about?"

"I saw you and Lust. I don't want to be a third wheel, so I'm taking myself out of the picture. I can't stand it, anyway. The killing. I don't want to feel anymore."

"It wasn't what you thought."

"Yeah, right."

"She dared me to make her feel like Greed would way back when, and, stupid idiot that I was, I agreed to do it for her. I never thought you would see me with her, and I'm sorry."

"Prove it," I demanded, my voice going deeper.

"How?" he asked, his eyes shining with desire.

"Make my death meaningful. Don't let me die alone."

His mouth quirked up in a smile as he jerked me to him. His hands scorched their way down my waist, to the bottom of my shirt. He kissed his way down as he pushed my shirt up, exposing the sensitive skin of my stomach. I gasped at the feel of his mouth on my tattoo, not wanting to reveal that part of myself to him again because I didn't want to leave him if this was what would happen. To my surprise however, the skin shallowed with every kiss he placed there until there was nothing but the smooth red stone beneath his lips.

His tongue danced around it as his lips moved against my body. "En, do me a favor," I gasped, my fingers knotting in his hair.

"Hmmm?" he asked, too caught up in his behavior to form a coherent reply but showing he was listening anyway.

"Don't mess up like I did, okay? I don't want to see you for a long time."

"I won't," he murmured, swiftly pulling my Stone out sexily with his teeth. I whimpered and jerked in his arms, feeling my life trickling away. I had mere seconds to live as he held my life source in between his beautiful lips.

There was only one thing I still wished to say, something I'd never said to him in any of my other lives. "I love you," I whispered faintly, feeling my soul leave my fragile shell to whatever awaited it now.

"I love you too," he breathed, kissing me one last time before my vision faded and I felt no more.

Yes, you see, we all make mistakes. Only, as homunculi, we make our mistakes many times throughout our many lives, over and over again as we live, die, and are reborn in new bodies with the same personalities. My mistake was always feeling sorry for the humans. Envy's was never having the heart to tell anyone 'no', even when it only caused everyone harm. He felt sorry for me, that much I knew from my little corner of existence still wrapped in him. Yes, he had swallowed my minuscule Stone, taking my personality and spirit into his. He just kept it hidden from everyone, not wanting them to suspect the truth.

The truth that he had rebelled against his own makeup, as per usual. Envy and I were always different from the others. Greed, while he would rebel against his creator, never went against his personality trait. The others all stayed true to their created purpose, but not us. For you see, every time he and I were alive at the same time, we would always fall in love. It did not matter if it was girl-boy, boy-girl, girl-girl, or boy-boy because the truth of the matter was, we simply didn't care.

But the cycle was finally broken. We would never be together in life again. But you see, I was content to wait out my time. For even though Envy had promised to not make the same mistakes I did and die, I knew it was only a matter of time until he did join me in death. And all because the universal law of the world states that everything can, must, and will eventually die, leaving this world in order to travel to the next...

The End.


	6. An Afterword and an Announcement

_A/N: Well, I guess there's nothing left to do but announce the good news. Sorrow will be coming back, and in a proper chaptered fic too! The next chapter in her saga is called _Could Love Be a Sin Too? _and should be up before too long, if it isn't up already. In the meantime, please enjoy this excerpt from chapter thre, Life Imprisonment, Revisited._

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Then everything began changing, all because Pride caught me whimpering and crying out for Envy as his dream-self left me yet again. The others began taunting me as they hurt me, saying he'd never again protect me, hold me, or feel anything other than hate for me. They said he would even be coming down to prove it to me as soon as he could manage it. But despite all their threats and talk, never in my wildest dreams did I suspect they could be _right_.


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